In this guest post, our partner Virgin Media, is excited to announce their partnership with the British Paralympic Association (BPA).

Virgin Media in partnership with us and the BPA have the ambition to positively change attitudes towards disability to drive participation of disabled people in work and everyday life.

At Virgin Media, we celebrate and value differences. This includes working to change attitudes towards disability – supporting disabled people in work and everyday life. That’s why we have partnered with Scope until 2020 to support more disabled people to get into and stay in work.

But our ambitions don’t end there. We also want to change attitudes towards disability to help drive participation of disabled people in the UK.

That’s why we’re so delighted to announce our new partnership with the BPA. This means that Virgin Media is supporting ParalympicsGB in their fearless quest, both in PyeongChang and in Tokyo in 2020. We’ve watched ParalympicsGB go from strength to strength over the years and I am thrilled we have the opportunity to support these athletes so they can reach even greater heights.

Not only does this partnership sit perfectly alongside our existing work with Scope, we know that sport has the power to inspire the country.

The 2012 and 2016 Paralympics were landmark moments that saw the country rally behind our Paralympic stars. And it did more than just spur us to unprecedented successes at the games.

Research from Scope shows that these sporting successes can change attitudes right across society:

Three quarters (78%) of disabled people say the Paralympics improve attitudes and four in five (82%) say the Games change negative assumptions to disability.

The poll of 1,000 disabled adults reveals that four in five (82%) believe the Games make disabled people more visible in wider society and challenge negative assumptions about what disabled people can achieve.

And more than three quarters (78%) of disabled people say the Paralympics have a positive impact on attitudes to disability.

In addition, recent research we commissioned to mark the start of our partnership with the BPA showed that Paralympians are the most inspirational athletes for young children.

Of course sport can’t change everything. That is why Virgin Media, Scope and BPA will be campaigning all year round, long after ParalympicsGB leave PyeongChang.

We are partnering with incredible organisations like Scope and the BPA to transform lives of disabled people, whether it’s on the snow or ice, in the workplace, or by shifting attitudes towards disability.

Our amazing Paralympians are already achieving great things in PyeongChang everyone at Virgin Media is cheering the team on.

To keep up to date on how ParalympicsGB is performing at PyeongChang, visit the BPA’s website or follow them on Twitter @ParalympicsGB

From expensive items of equipment or adapted cutlery, to higher energy bills and costly insurance premiums, disabled people face extra costs across all areas of life.

Read more about our research and how we can tackle the price tag of disability.

The financial penalty of disability

Four years ago we published research into disabled people’s extra costs and began campaigning for change.

Four years on, disabled people still face a substantial financial penalty.

Our latest research finds that disabled people face extra costs of £570 a month related to their impairment or condition. For one in five disabled people, these costs amount to over £1,000 a month.

This is on top of welfare payments such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) designed to help meet these costs.

This disability price tag leaves disabled people with less money to spend on other things, and unable to afford the same standard of living as non-disabled people.

After housing costs have been met, almost half (49 per cent) of disabled people’s remaining income is spent on disability-related costs.

Even for disabled people in work, average monthly extra costs are £492. And across the country costs vary substantially, from an average of £482 in the East of England to an average of £632 in Scotland.

What are the types of extra costs disabled people face?

Disabled people we talk to tell us that they face extra costs across many areas of their lives. These costs broadly fall into three categories:

Paying for specialised goods, like a wheelchair, a hoist or adapted cutlery

Having to spend more on everyday things, like heating or items of clothing

Marie is just one of many disabled people faced with extra costs. She uses a specially adapted wheelchair which needs replacing, but this would cost her £9,000. Marie and her husband also recently spent around £4000 on a specially adapted kitchen.

The extra costs of disability mean disabled people are less able to build financial resilience. They make it harder for disabled people to get a job, pay into savings and pensions, and participate fully in society.

What needs to change?

We cannot afford to ignore this problem.

Government, regulators and businesses all need to play a role in tackling the extra costs of disability.

We want to see an overhaul of the assessment so that disabled people get the support they need to help meet disability-related costs.

We also need to tackle the drivers of extra costs. We know disabled people are often underserved as consumers, leading to increased costs for essential goods and services like energy and insurance.

Today we are calling on businesses and regulators to set out what they will do to ensure disabled consumers are not paying over the odds.

What will we be doing next

We will be reporting annually on disabled people’s extra costs to assess any changes over time. We will also be publishing research later on this year into the additional costs faced by families of disabled children.

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Winter brings two certainties – lower temperatures and higher energy costs. This is particularly challenging for disabled people, who often consume more energy because of their impairment or condition.

In recent weeks, Ofgem – the energy regulator – and the Government have both announced short-term proposals to help tackle high energy costs. Whilst these are welcome, Scope is calling for more targeted reforms to support disabled people in the energy market.

Below we look at these changes in more detail and what they could mean for disabled people.

Disabled people’s experiences as energy consumers

Disabled people face a range of disability-related costs, amounting to an average of £550 a month, making it harder for disabled people to get into work, access education and training opportunities and participate in society fully.

Energy represents a significant type of extra cost for disabled people. In an independent inquiry into extra costs, The Extra Costs Commission, energy was the third most cited area of additional cost by disabled people.

Households with a disabled person spend on average over £3,000 a year on energy, compared to the £1,345 an average UK household spends. It is no surprise then that more than a quarter (29 per cent) of disabled people have struggled to pay their energy bills in the past year.

What changes have been announced?

In October, Ofgem announced a proposal to extend the Vulnerable Customer Safeguard Tariff. Currently, this limits the amount that customers who are on a prepayment meter will pay for their energy bills. The extension would cover an additional one million customers who receive the Warm Homes Discount, which is a one-off discount for certain customers on their energy bills. This change would take effect from February 2018.

Ofgem has acknowledged that this approach will not support all groups with high energy costs, including many disabled people. It is considering what further steps it can take to support a wider pool of customers.

Alongside this, the Government has published its Draft Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill. This would put an absolute cap on certain energy tariffs, including standard variable tariffs and default tariffs, which have variable prices that go up and down with the market.

The cap would be set by Ofgem and would be temporary in nature. It would last until the end of 2020, although it may be extended for a year on up to three occasions, depending on whether the market becomes more competitive.

The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee has been reviewing the Bill before it is introduced in Parliament. We have provided both written and oral evidence to the Committee, and we want to ensure that there is a clear process for evaluating how these changes will impact disabled people.

What needs to change?

The proposed actions from Ofgem and the Government offer some short-term relief to some disabled people. However, long-term reforms are needed to specifically address the additional energy costs many disabled people face.

One area of focus needs to be on ensuring disabled people are accessing the support to which they are entitled. For instance, research by the Extra Costs Commission found that 40 per cent of disabled people were unfamiliar with the Warm Home Discount, meaning many individuals could be missing out on this support with their energy bills. We want Ofgem and energy suppliers to work together to increase awareness of these types of support.

We also believe the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount is not as effectively targeted as it could be. We want the Government to review the criteria so that it captures a greater number of disabled people who face additional energy costs.

Over the past couple of weeks, we have been carrying out focus groups to deepen our understanding of the experiences of disabled people in the energy market. This will help us develop recommendations for tackling the additional energy costs faced by many disabled people, but it is clear that Government, Ofgem and energy suppliers all have a part to play.

Tell us about your experiences

Have you faced high energy costs because of your impairment or condition? If you would like to share your experiences, please contact: stories@scope.org.uk.

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Josh, popularly known as “Smiiffy”, is a rapper from Birmingham who is looking to challenge attitudes and raise awareness of mental health and disability. He did an Instagram Stories takeover for Scope on Friday, where he shared “What I Need To Say” posts throughout the day, and even wrote a special verse.

I have anxiety, depression and borderline personality disorder. I haven’t been in a good place in the past few months. My anxiety sometimes makes it difficult to be happy, even around my own family. It also means that it’s quite difficult to know what mood I’m going to be in for Christmas.

There are a lot of times I do feel isolated. I often find that I do it to myself because I prefer to be alone. I constantly feel alone in a crowd. Even if I’m surrounded by good friends, I feel alone. I sit alone for a while and think that I don’t fit in here. And I feel like I don’t fit in anywhere, which is really difficult sometimes.

Scope’s What I Want To Say campaign is important to me because I feel like Scope’s giving people the opportunity to have a voice and let me say what I genuinely need to say. Letting people know that they’re not alone, and that there are other people there who are wanting to listen to them is incredible.

As part of this campaign, I took over Scope’s Instagram on Friday 8 December, and am sharing my top tips for reducing isolation:

Smile

Whether it’s someone I know well, or a stranger in the street, one of my favourite things to do is just smile. I feel like if someone’s having the worst day, at least I’ve acknowledged them. Plus, it always makes me feel much better too!

A hug always helps

Hugs always make me feel good. Be it a friend, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a cousin, a family member or whoever, it helps you forget about the loneliness, depression and anxiety you might be feeling for a while.

Social Media

I always thought that I’d be lonely and I posted that on social media. That was the first time that I accepted my own mental health. Telling people how you feel on social media can help things improve.

I use it positively, to raise awareness and let people know that there is help out there. You can also be anonymous on social media and that can make it easier to talk about the fact that you’re struggling.

Find someone to talk to

For people that are lonely, there are a few community clubs and centres out there that are open for people on Christmas day. If people are alone, that’s definitely one thing that could help.

If you’ve got family around you but you’re still struggling, just trying to talk to people can help. In most families, there’s at least one person that understands, so if you can speak to that one person, then things can get easier. Just expressing your needs to somebody else will help in the long run, because they will find a way to help you through it.

Speak to organisations that can help

Scope have helped me massively. They’ve helped a lot of friends too. I’ve never really told anyone that I have Bilateral Perthes’ disease but through working with Scope and seeing the work they do, it made me feel confident enough to tweet about it. I feel motivated by Scope to raise awareness of invisible impairments, like mental health.

Do something you love

I think that a hobby, something you’re good at or enjoy, can help. When I started music, I wanted money, fame, popularity but then I released a song about when I was struggling called “Air I Breathe”. When I realised how many people it had impacted, I knew that was my calling.

Music has been hard because I don’t like the attention but I fought off my fears. If you have a talent and use it to create good things for yourself and inspire thousands of others, it can be life changing. I also like giving back to charity because as well as music, charity saved my life.

Help raise awareness

Over the years thousands of people have messaged me and said positive things like “I love your music, you’ve saved my life” or “you’ve made me open up about my own mental health” which is incredible.

I want people to let people know that, if they’re struggling to talk or feel like they’re not going to be heard, speaking out about what you’re going through can really help.

Too often disabled people struggle to access the right emotional support, advice and information. As a result they feel like no one truly understands, leaving them disconnected and isolated from those around them. This is particularly heart-breaking at Christmas.

Please help us this Christmas by getting involved with our What I Need To Say campaign. Share the message, tell us your stories, and donate to Scope so we can be there for people who have nowhere else to turn.

Pippa works on Scope’s online community and is also an accessible theatre blogger. The festive season seems to be filled with activities but when they aren’t accessible, disabled people and families are often left out. This can be very isolating. For our What I Need to Say campaign, Pippa spoke to Erin, whose company DH Ensemble is leading the way in accessible theatre.

Going to the theatre is an experience enjoyed and cherished by many families, especially during the festive season. However, like many other activities, theatres and shows often fail to be wholly inclusive of disabled people.

Although the accessibility of venues is improving, content isn’t always suitable for people with specific disabilities. However, one theatrical company with inclusivity at its heart is The DH Ensemble (previously called The Deaf & Hearing Ensemble). I talked to Erin Siobhan Hutchings about their new show.

Based on Erin’s own experiences of growing up with her deaf sister, ‘People of the Eye’ features Deaf and hearing cast members and uses stunning visuals to create an immersive experience for all.

Accessibility is a forethought, not an afterthought

Accessibility is built into the aesthetic, so deaf and hearing audiences can enjoy the show on an equal basis. For example, we use integrated sign-language as well as creative captioning, so whether you’re relying on that to access a performance or not, it brings so much more to your understanding of the world and the characters. I think that makes the work so much more interesting. It adds layers to the narrative and the way that you tell the story and connect with the audience.

Whilst the show was primarily designed with D/deaf and hearing audiences in mind, we also strive to ensure that venues where the show are performed are wheelchair-accessible. The production team also take precautions to ensure that audiences are aware of the visual effects beforehand, by sending out resources including descriptions of lighting effects and images of the projections used to those who request them.

Being excluded can be really isolating

The story is about myself and my sister growing up but it could easily be replaced with many other disabled people’s stories. The crux of the story is about families, relationships and isolation, and how important it is that we accept each other.

Deafness isn’t necessarily a disability that cuts you off physically or intellectually, but it’s isolation that can really affect people who have hearing loss. It’s that inability to communicate in a social situation that can be really isolating and that’s something that I noticed with my sister growing up.

We’ve tried to really show that in a way that puts the audience in that position, so some feedback we’ve had from audience members is that maybe a hearing person might not understand everything that happens in the play but that’s an important experience for them to have, they get some insight into that feeling of isolation themselves.

What I would really like people to take away is a little bit of empathy about the way that other people live their lives, and some idea about isolation and communication and how important that is. Then hopefully they’ll take that out with them into the world and influence the other spaces they go into.

Making theatre more accessible

It’s important that we’re all realistic about the diverse world that we live in. We’re a co-led deaf and hearing company and we strive to maintain that.

People understand that it may not be possible to make every single show accessible for everybody, but if you’re open to discovering what can make your work accessible, that’s a start. It’s better to ask people who really live the experience and get their feedback. I went to an interesting discussion with deaf and disabled artists recently where this was addressed.

Accessibility shouldn’t just be a tick-box exercise – put on a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted show and do one relaxed performance and that’s it. That’s not really exploring the depth of how we can make sure our theatrical environment and all aspects of our society are welcoming for everybody, and that people can feel equal to everybody else.

As accessible theatre continues to slowly improve, it is the innovative work of companies such as The DH Ensemble that are really making strides in helping to address isolation and ensure that theatre really is becoming more inclusive for all.

The DH Ensemble is led by Jennifer K. Bates, Stephen Collins, Sophie Stone and Erin Siobhan Hutching. You can see People of the Eye in 2018:

Yesterday the Chancellor Philip Hammond suggested that a higher number of disabled people in the workforce has played a part in the “sluggish productivity in Britain’s economy”.

Debbie, from Scope’s helpline, who works with thousands of disabled people and their families every year, has this to say about his comments:

I first saw Philip Hammond’s comments yesterday, after spending the day doing training with the Samaritans on how to deal with suicidal callers.

This training has become necessary for our helpline.

We deal with calls and queries from sick and disabled people in deep distress every day.

Many times, we’ve exercised our duty of care by alerting the authorities of serious welfare concerns.

We’ve called the police, we’ve called ambulances, and had many conversations with safeguarding teams at local authorities across the country.

To see such derogatory comments made in this day and age sparked an anger inside me and many of my Scope colleagues.

I’ve worked in front-line advice for 10 years, and the past four years has been the most challenging and difficult time I’ve ever known.

For me, these comments are a new and massive blow to disabled people.

Disabled people who have already ‘failed’ at being sick and/or disabled according to ESA (Employment Support Allowance) and PIP (Personal Independence Payments) assessments now stand accused of failing the economy too.

These are the same sick and disabled people who have been punished for the financial crisis through brutal cuts to social care and welfare benefits.

As a helpline, we’ve fielded queries from thousands of sick and disabled people affected by welfare reform, including some forced into work when they’re clearly not well enough or able to. Many have been forced into destitution and an uncertain future.

This is only going to get worse with Universal Credit, and we’re already seeing an increase in these types of queries.

I’ve spoken to many disabled workers who have gone through the DLA (Disability Living Allowance) to PIP transition, and have lost out.

It’s incredibly hard to be a productive employee when you’re going through the stress of appealing a benefits decision. But disabled people do it every day.

They turn up to work and are the best that they can be under extremely difficult circumstances.

Like the stress of losing your Motability car and being unable to get to work safely.

Or the stress you feel if you can’t pay your rent, or don’t have enough money to eat.

The in-work support available to disabled people, such as Access to Work, has also been cut and is very difficult to get.

Going through these horribly complex processes consumes you, exhausts you and affects every part of your life and your relationships with others.

The detriment to disabled people’s mental and physical well-being has been evident to us, and is far too common in our work.

I am human, my colleagues are human, we hurt and we feel. Some of us are parents to disabled children, or are disabled ourselves, and it’s sickening to hear such nastiness.

Despite the anger and devastation I feel about these comments, I’m even more determined to continue fighting for Everyday Equality. I know that my colleagues feel the same.

We’ve had blow after blow in recent years, and this for me was the final straw.

We will rise up and we will continue challenging all of the injustices, and we will do this together until there is Everyday Equality for disabled people and their families.

We want to hear how these comments have affected you too. Tell us, tell your local MP, tell anyone who will listen.

We have been campaigning hard over the last four years to tackle the barriers disabled people face both in and out of work. And pushing hard to tackle outdated negative attitudes towards disabled people, whether in the workplace or in wider society. It’s vital that Government and employers recognise disabled people’s potential and the value they bring to the workplace.

Statistically and historically the correlation between increases in productivity and disability employment have gone hand-in-hand. It has never been the case that increasing the number of disabled people in work has had a harmful effect on productivity levels.

Graph: Productivity against proportion of employees who are disabled

Our analysis of the ONS (Office of National Statistics) National Accounts and Labour Force Survey shows the rate of productivity in the UK has been unaffected by an increase of the proportion of disabled people in work. For instance, between 1998 and 2007 productivity increased by 22 percent, while the proportion of the workforce who are disabled increased from 7.6 percent to 10.4 percent.

It is therefore unacceptable that the Chancellor decided to attribute productivity challenges to disabled people so publicly in this way.

Just last week the Prime Minister committed to getting a million more disabled people into work, a move we welcome. And the Government’s own Industrial Strategy published last month, highlights that businesses with inclusive workplaces bring improved productivity.

Shifting attitudes doesn’t happen overnight. It can take years to shift perceptions. Yet it is this hard work that is essential for social change, and essential if we are to live in a country where disabled people can have everyday equality. However, it can take seconds to reinforce lazy, outdated and harmful stereotypes and undo all this hard work.

We’ve taken a closer look at the Government’s plan published today and what it could mean for disabled people.

At Scope, we know that there are one million disabled people who can and want to work. Yet too many face barriers to entering, staying and progressing in work.

This is a huge waste of disabled people’s talent and potential, which is why we’ve been campaigning over the last four years to convince the Government to address the challenges faced by disabled job-seekers and employees.

One million disabled can and want to work

The Government today has announced a series of measures to increase disability employment and change the workplace for disabled people. These include trials that will look at ways to support disabled people to move into employment and proposals to support disabled people to stay in work. There is also a greater focus on the role of employers in supporting disabled people in the workplace.

Last year we gathered many of your views and experiences of work and the workplace. It’s positive to see the Government’s ambition, but it’s vital this plan leads to swift and meaningful action if they are to meet their pledge to get one million more disabled people into employment over the next ten years.

Work Capability Assessment

The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is the gateway to a higher rate of benefit for disabled people whilst out of work. We’ve long been calling for the Government to replace the WCA with a new assessment which more accurately recognises the barriers disabled people face to entering and staying in work.

The Government has said it will be exploring ways to improve disabled people’s experiences of the assessment process and provide more personalised support.

Whilst this is a step in the right direction, this does not go far enough. We need to see a complete overhaul of the assessment that accurately identifies the back-to-work support disabled people need. It is important that any assessment for financial support is separate from any conversations about support to move into work.

Employment support

The Government have set out a series of proposals for testing new ways of offering support to disabled people to take up employment.

This includes exploring the idea of personal budgets for employment support and testing out an offer of voluntary employment support for people in the support group of Employment and Support Allowance.

We think these ideas have the potential to help disabled people get the tailored support they need to get into work. However, it’s vital that any engagement with employment support is voluntary and has no impact on the financial support an individual receives.

Employers Driving Change

The Government has also announced a range of measures to improve the workplace and highlight the role employers play in tackling disability unemployment. This includes a focus on getting large employers to voluntary publish information on their disabled employees, as well as a greater focus on providing employers with information and advice

This change will help to give employers a better sense of areas where they’re doing well at recruiting and retraining disabled staff, and areas they need to look at where disabled people are underrepresented.

Access to Work

There are also a range of measures to improve the Access to Work scheme. This provides essential resources and support that disabled people need to do their jobs.

It can make a huge difference to working disabled people, but we know that disabled people can sometimes face issues with the scheme, such as delays in getting support, or loss of their package of support if they change role within the same organisation.

The Government has proposed changes to improve the delivery of the scheme, which include investing in its Mental Health Support Service and making it easier for disabled people to take their awards with them when they change jobs. However, it is crucial the Government invests in Access to Work so that a greater number of disabled people can benefit from the scheme to help them stay in work.

Statutory Sick Pay

There is also a commitment to consult on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). This is money paid by an employer to their employee while they are off sick, either instead of, or after, occupational sick pay.

The Government’s proposal would help to increase disabled people’s income during a phased return to work after a period of sickness absence. However, we want to see the Government go further and reform SSP so that disabled people have greater flexibility in managing fluctuations in their condition whilst at work.

What next?

Today’s publication includes a range of measures that could help tackle the disability employment gap and improve the workplace for disabled people. It’s critical that disabled people’s experiences are at the heart of any changes.

The Government now needs to build on this plan and ensure that it quickly leads to real change for disabled people.

Scope will be continuing to campaign on disability employment so that more disabled people can enter, stay and progress in work.

As part of this, Scope has launched its Work With Me campaign with Virgin Media to get government, employers and the public to tackle the issues faced by disabled job-seekers and employees.

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To mark Disability History Month this year we’re looking at famous disabled artists who used their art to express What I Need To Say

Michelangelo

“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.”

Five years before his death Michelangelo was diagnosed with kidney stones. As a result, art historians have often focused on that and the possible repetition of kidney shaped designs in his work.

However, more recently, the debate has been around whether he also had gout or arthritis and if his work as a painter and sculptor exacerbated or eased his condition. Portraits of the artist especially those showing his hands have been pored over to determine which condition he had. Michelangelo also included himself as an old man in several of his later works which has provided additional evidence for this debate.

Pietà bandini by Michaelangelo

Francisco Goya

“Fantasy abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters.”

Goya is often referred to as the last of the old masters and the first of the moderns. In 1793 he developed a severe but unidentified illness which left him deaf. After this, his work – which had been characterised by portraits of society figures and tapestry designs – began to reflect a darker more pessimistic outlook. His portraits came close to caricatures reflecting what Goya really saw rather than how his subjects might want to see themselves.

For a period towards the end of his life he lived an almost hermit-like existence in a farmhouse outside Madrid where he produced the famous Black Paintings – dark, sometimes gruesome murals painted in oils directly on the walls.

Francisco de Goya – Tio Paquete (oil on canvas, c.1820)

Frida Kahlo

“Feet, what do I need them for If I have wings to fly.”

Frida Kahlo is probably best known as a feminist icon, but did you know she was also a disabled person? Kahlo was born with spina bifida, and after contracting Polio as a child was left with her right leg being thinner than her left. Following a severe car accident, Kahlo began painting self-portraits which depicted her impairments in a fearless way.

Frida Kahlo’s 1939 oil painting “The Two Fridas.”

Paul Klee

“A line is a dot that went for a walk.”

Klee was a German artist active during the first half of the twentieth century. As a child he had been a musical prodigy but as an adult his focused on his art. His theories and writing on the theory of colour were very influential and he taught with Kandinsky at the Bauhaus School of art. His own work reflected a dry sense of humour as well as a sometimes childlike perspective.

One of his most productive periods was during the early 1930s but at the same time he was persecuted by the Nazis and forced to leave German. It was also during this time that he started to show the symptoms of scleroderma. It limited his output for a time until he modified his painting style to create more bold designs with his alternating moods making the paintings lighter or darker.

Henri Matisse

“I have always tried to hide my efforts and wished my works to have the light joyousness of springtime, which never lets anyone suspect the labors it has cost me….”

Henri Matisse was one of the most innovative painters of the twentieth century. In 1941 he almost died from cancer, and after three months in recovery he became a wheelchair user. Matisse credits this period of his life with reenergizing him, even referring to the last 14 years of his life as “une seconde vie,” or his second life.

He adapted his artistic methods to suit life in a wheelchair, making artwork out of coloured paper shapes. You may have seen this work in the exhibition The Cut-Outs which was featured in the Tate Modern in 2014.

La Perruche et la Sirene by Henri Matisse 1952

Yinka Shonibare, MBE

“Your head goes crazy if you pursue what ifs.”

Yinka Shonibare is a British conceptual artist with Transverse Myelitis, which paralyses one side of his body. Shonibare uses assistants to make work under his direction, and is famed for exploring cultural identity, colonialism and post-colonialism within the contemporary context of globalisation.

In 2004 he was shortlisted for the Turner Prize for his Double Dutch exhibition, and was awarded an MBE in the same year.

Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle by Yinka Shonibare

Stephen Wiltshire

“Do the best you can and never stop.”

Wiltshire is an autistic savant and world renowned architectural artist. He learned to speak at nine, and by the age of ten began drawing detailed sketches of London landmarks. Recently, Wilshire created an eighteen foot wide panoramic landscape of the skyline of New York City, after only viewing it once during a twenty minute helicopter ride. The Stephen Wiltshire gallery can be found in Pall Mall, London.

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The Chancellor today has announced the second Budget of this year and the first since the General Election. It was a deliberately low-key affair after a turbulent few months for the Government.

In this blog, we take a look at the impact that this will have on disabled people’s lives.

There was a much-needed announcement to Universal Credit which is a step in the right direction for disabled people. The seven-day initial waiting period for processing claims has been scrapped and the repayment period for advance payments has been extended from six months to twelve. Claimants will also be able to get a 100 percent advance now, rather than 50 percent.

However, as our helpline calls demonstrate, we remain concerned there are still fundamental problems with Universal Credit that were not addressed today.

The Government is failing to collect data on the number of disabled people claiming Universal Credit and their experiences. We know from our helpline that many disabled people are worried about what the shift to Universal Credit means for them and the loss of disability premiums means many disabled people will be financially worse off. With disabled people already paying extra costs of £550 a month related to their disability and less likely to have savings we oppose the loss of these premiums.

We need to see urgent reform

The Government has promised to get one million more disabled people into work by 2027. In order for that to happen, we need to see urgent reform to the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) so that it better identifies the barriers disabled people face to finding work.

With the Government expected to publish their response to the Improving Lives Green Paper shortly, we need to see ambitious reforms to support disabled people to find and stay in work. As well as reforming the WCA the Government need to look at what more employers can be doing to support their disabled employees and make sure schemes such as Access to Work are available to everyone who needs them.

Disappointingly the Chancellor did not take the opportunity to confirm that there will be no further cuts to disability benefits in this Parliament. We’d like to see the Government commit to protecting the value of vital payments such as Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payments.

A missed opportunity

While the announcement of more funding for the NHS was welcome, the Government has failed to act on social care again. The social care system is increasingly under pressure and while the Government has set out plans to consult on social care for older people it’s not clear what they’ll be doing to support the 278,000 disabled people who rely on social care for basic support.

Overall this Budget looks like another missed opportunity to improve the lives of the UK’s 13.3 million disabled people. With action needed to tackle the barriers disabled people face at work, at home and in their communities, we’d like to have seen the Chancellor be bolder.

If you have any questions or concerns about the changes made to your support, please call Scope’s Helpline on 0808 800 3333.